AN ORDINANCE relating to contracting by the Human Services Department; providing that the Seattle Human Services Department provide a cost increase when renewing or renegotiating contracts to address escalation in costs and specifying how and when to apply the increase; amending Section 20.60.102 of the Seattle Municipal Code to exempt human services contracts from the provisions of Chapter 20.60; and adding a new Section 3.20.060 to the Seattle Municipal Code.

CITY OF SEATTLEORDINANCE __________________COUNCIL BILL __________________titleAN ORDINANCE relating to contracting by the Human Services Department; providing that the Seattle Human Services Department provide a cost increase when renewing or renegotiating contracts to address escalation in costs and specifying how and when to apply the increase; amending Section 20.60.102 of the Seattle Municipal Code to exempt human services contracts from the provisions of Chapter 20.60; and adding a new Section 3.20.060 to the Seattle Municipal Code. bodyWHEREAS, the Human Services Department connects people with resources and solutions during times of need; andWHEREAS, the Human Services Department contracts with more than 170 community-based partners that work together to build the infrastructure to provide services that strengthen Seattle's communities and reach the vision of a just and thriving society; andWHEREAS, partnerships with community-based organizations allow the Human Services Department to serve thousands of vulnerable neighbors every year, including providing over 1,000,000 emergency meals, supporting over 600 family caregivers and 11,000 adults receiving long-term case management, placing 400 youth in internships and providing services to over 4,000 survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and commercial sexual exploitation in 2018; andWHEREAS, the cost of doing business in Seattle has continued to increase and the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (issued by the Bureau of Labor Statistics) increased 24.5 percent in the last ten years; andWHEREAS, organizations in Seattle incur increased annual expenses to sustain current services, including recruiting, training and retaining staff, rent, utilities, health care, technology, maintenance, and transportation; andWHEREAS, the Human Services Department has not consistently provided inflation adjustments to ensure contracted nonprofit agenci...